A Cross-Disciplinary Successful Aging Intervention and Evaluation: Comparison of Person-to-Person and Digital-Assisted Approaches

Abstract

Background: Successful aging has been the paradigm of old-age life. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a cross-disciplinary intervention program using two approaches for community-based older adults in Taichung, Taiwan. Methods: The content of the intervention included successful aging concepts and preparation, physical activity, chronic disease and health management, dietary and nutrition information, cognitive training, emotional awareness and coping skills, family relationship and resilience, legal concepts regarding financial protection, and Internet use. The traditional person-to-person (P2P) intervention approach was implemented among participants at urban centers, and the personal-and-digital (P&D) intervention approach was implemented among participants at rural centers; before the P&D group received the intervention, participants were assessed as the control group for comparison. Results: Healthy behavior and nutrition improved for the P2P group, although not significantly. Strategies for adapting to old age and reducing ineffective coping were significantly improved in the P2P group. The ability to search for health information improved in the P&D group, and knowledge of finance-related law increased in the P2P group. Conclusion: A continuous, well-designed and evidence-based intervention program is beneficial for improving the health of older adults, or at least delaying its decline.

Physical activity promotion in rural health care settings: A rapid realist review

“…Most studies were longitudinal or prospective cohort studies (n = 8) ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Davis et al, 2016 , Peterson and Cheng, 2013 , Reed et al, 2020 , Sherman et al, 2007 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Robles et al, 2014 ) or randomized control trials (n = 7) ( Reed et al, 2018 , Connelly et al, 2017 , Greaney et al, 2017 , Currie et al, 2018 , Eakin et al, 2012 , Lee et al, 2007 , Sangster et al, 2016 ). Populations of interest included older adults (n = 7) ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Davis et al, 2016 , Hsu et al, 2018 , Lee et al, 2007 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Batsis et al, 2021 ), individuals with chronic conditions and/or risk factors (n = 5) ( Sangster et al, 2016 , Miedema et al, 2015 , Connelly et al, 2017 , Paul et al, 2019 , Eakin et al, 2012 ), women (n = 4) ( Melton et al, 2016 , Greaney et al, 2017 , Sherman et al, 2007 , Peterson and Cheng, 2013 ), and children/youth (n = 2) ( Robles et al, 2014 , Currie et al, 2018 ). The most common type of health care providers involved in intervention delivery were nurses or nurse practitioners (n = 8) ( Connelly et al, 2017 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Sherman et al, 2007 , Lee et al, 2007 , Melton et al, 2016 , Peterson and Cheng, 2013 , Reed et al, 2020 , Reed et al, 2018 ), physical therapists (n = 7) ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Davis et al, 2016 , Paul et al, 2019 , Reed et al, 2018 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Batsis et al, 2021 ), registered dietitians (n = 5) (…”

“…Populations of interest included older adults (n = 7) ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Davis et al, 2016 , Hsu et al, 2018 , Lee et al, 2007 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Batsis et al, 2021 ), individuals with chronic conditions and/or risk factors (n = 5) ( Sangster et al, 2016 , Miedema et al, 2015 , Connelly et al, 2017 , Paul et al, 2019 , Eakin et al, 2012 ), women (n = 4) ( Melton et al, 2016 , Greaney et al, 2017 , Sherman et al, 2007 , Peterson and Cheng, 2013 ), and children/youth (n = 2) ( Robles et al, 2014 , Currie et al, 2018 ). The most common type of health care providers involved in intervention delivery were nurses or nurse practitioners (n = 8) ( Connelly et al, 2017 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Sherman et al, 2007 , Lee et al, 2007 , Melton et al, 2016 , Peterson and Cheng, 2013 , Reed et al, 2020 , Reed et al, 2018 ), physical therapists (n = 7) ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Davis et al, 2016 , Paul et al, 2019 , Reed et al, 2018 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Batsis et al, 2021 ), registered dietitians (n = 5) ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Greaney et al, 2017 , Miedema et al, 2015 , Batsis et al, 2021 ), physicians (n = 4) ( Hsu et al, 2018 , Miedema et al, 2015 , Melton et al, 2016 , Currie et al, 2018 ), and exercise physiologists (n = 3) ( Paul et al, 2019 , Miedema et al, 2015 , Eakin et al, 2012 ). Two included studies reported on the same intervention delivered in a rural primary care setting, describing the effectiveness ( Reed et al, 2018 ) and feasibility/implementation ( Reed et al, 2020 …”

“…Ten articles ( Hsu et al, 2018 , Paul et al, 2019 , Connelly et al, 2017 , Greaney et al, 2017 , Miedema et al, 2015 , Melton et al, 2016 , Robles et al, 2014 , Sangster et al, 2016 , Batsis et al, 2021 , Currie et al, 2018 ) provided no definition or measure of rurality but were included as they self-identified their study as taking place in a rural setting. Seven articles defined the communities as rural by stating the location’s population (range: 5,495 – 20,613 people) ( Davis et al, 2016 , Lee et al, 2007 , Peterson and Cheng, 2013 , Reed et al, 2020 , Sherman et al, 2007 , Tarazona-Santabalbina et al, 2016 , Batsis et al, 2021 ), and three provided a specific definition of rurality based on national health policies ( Batsis et al, 2020 , Reed et al, 2018 , Eakin et al, 2012 ).…”

Effect of a multi-disciplinary active aging intervention among community elders

“…[ 5 ] The community centers’ social networks and support help encourage the elderly to attend social activities. [ 30 ] For social participation, our program provided lectures on grateful manners and skills. Our survey revealed that participants in the study group had significantly improved social participation attitude at the post-test and the post-post test stage.…”

Effectiveness of Human Versus Computer-Based Instructions for Exercise on Physical Activity–Related Health Competence in Patients with Hip Osteoarthritis: Randomized Noninferiority Crossover Trial

“…In recent years, a large number of digital exercise interventions have emerged, but there is a lack of studies comparing apps or digital interventions with human-delivered approaches in the field of chronic diseases. Hsu et al [ 24 ] compared a person-to-person and a digital-assisted approach for successful aging in older people. The results indicated that healthy behavior improved for the person-to-person group, although not significantly.…”